There is interest in monitoring the mass balance of the Arctic sea ice cover, defined as the difference between the mass gained by new ice growth and the amount lost by melting, because the mass balance is a key climate change indicator. If there is a thinning of the ice, this indicates a net warming over time. Conversely, thicker ice results from a net cooling. The mass balance of the sea-ice cover is a function of its extent and thickness, which combine to give its volume. The extent of the sea-ice cover can be monitored from satellites using passive microwave imagery. Changes in ice thickness cannot be monitored as well from satellites. One alternative is to use drifting buoys to collect ice-thickness measurements. Multi-year sea ice has been extensively studied with drifting buoys. However, thin ice (less than two meters thick and not expected to survive) generally classified as seasonal ice, has not been able to be properly studied with drifting buoys.
What is needed is an inexpensive, robust buoy that automatically and inexpensively obtains the high resolution thickness and melt data unavailable from remote sensors. The robust buoy will operate without the need for human observers. The robust buoy will excel in taking data from “first year” (thin) ice. The robust buoy will be deployed down an opening in an ice floe, thus eliminating the need for a team to create multiple holes of different sizes and to carry associated drilling equipment. The robust buoy will float with a strong self-righting moment, enabling its operation in extremely thin ice, and even in the open ocean, with no dependence on ice cover for support. The robust buoy will be self—contained with minimal external wires and protrusions, thus being less vulnerable to damage by ice motion and wildlife. The robust buoy will have minimal effect on surrounding ice, thus enabling accurate multiple measurements on the deployment opening. The robust buoy will comprise material that mimics ice properties, having minimal conductive wiring. Further, convection currents within the robust buoy will be minimized by filler, such as closed cell foam. Finally, the robust buoy may have excessive ballast that facilitates its use as a platform for additional scientific investigations. Select embodiments of the present invention address each of these design considerations.